Offhand
by RedDestiny123
Summary: When half-asleep after waiting for Casey who was on her date with Sam, Derek can't control what comes out of his mouth.
1. So it Begins

**AN: May make this just a one-shot. I dunno yet. I know if I did that it'd be a weird place to end it, but I'll file it under 'complete' unless something changes. Anywho, enjoy!**

* * *

As Casey walked down the stairs, everyone looked at her in awe. Though Derek couldn't find it in himself to care enough to turn around. His eyes were glued to the TV.

"Casey, you look so pretty!" Marti exclaimed, practically bouncing up and down in her seat on the couch.

Ever since he'd pushed them together after pulling them apart, Derek tried his best not to think about anything Casey/Sam related. Though the way Marti kept going on about Casey's outfit, the brunet had to admit that curiosity got the best of him.

So, turning around, his eyes widened at the sight he was presented with. She was wearing a baby blue dress to match her eyes that hugged her body and curves in all the right places. Clear heels were strapped to her feet and her hair was slightly curled, makeup light to go along with it all.

"Derek, doesn't Casey look beautiful?" George asked, trying to get something out of his son. Nora must have talked to him or something. The only blond in the house was trying harder than usual to get the two eldest siblings to coexist.

Derek just let out a grunt of acknowledgement as his eyes were back to the hockey game. He was doing his best to keep from drooling and he knew if he kept looking… that's exactly what he'd do. Though Casey didn't take this as an insult. It was Derek. Her stupid step-brother. Why should she care?

Then there was a knock on the door. Casey flew to open it and there stood Sam with roses. Internally, Derek was puking. How could she handle such cliché gestures? Then again, Casey McDonald was a romantic and Sam was obviously aware.

Everyone bid the lovesick teens a farewell while Derek stayed silent. George knew that that was better than him insulting his step-sister. He'd take what he could get.

After the household dispersed, Edwin and Lizzie going to their bedrooms and Marti being taken to bed while their parents went into the basement, Derek stayed exactly where he was. He was going to be here when Casey got home.

* * *

She tried to be as silent as possible. Casey didn't know who was awake and who was asleep. She'd gotten home later than expected. Though, to her relief, everyone was sleeping soundly. Even Derek in his recliner. She gave an expression that read of confusion. But, as soon as she shut the door behind her and locked it, the boy shot up in his chair, suddenly alert.

"Yeah, whoa. I'm up."

Casey jumped in surprise and scratched the back of her head. "I can see that. Um. Why?" she questioned.

"I was waiting for you," he spoke truthfully.

"'kay. Any particular reason _why_?"

"Space-Case just has to know every minute detail, eh?"

Casey crinkled her brows together, trying to figure out what Derek wanted. He had to want something if he was sitting there waiting for her.

"Are you happy?"

The inquiry threw Casey off-guard. Especially since Derek sounded genuine when asking. "I'm sorry?"

"I said, are you happy?"

Casey went to sit down on the couch and nodded. "Very happy," she answered.

Derek's expression fell; he hadn't even noticed it had risen in the first place. "All right. Just wanted to make sure that Sam was doing his duty. G'night, Case," he spoke as he stood up with a yawn.

Casey couldn't let him go that easily. She was up and in front of Derek in a flash, blocking his way to the stairs.

"Why do you ask and why do you care?"

"'Cause I love you. Now, goodnight, Casey," he insisted, not even paying attention to what he'd just told her.


	2. Babe Raider Flashback

**AN: Decided it needed more to it. And also your kind words helped me realize, yo, there's more that needs to be added.**

* * *

Derek didn't remember anything from last night. He'd been so out of it that he couldn't think straight or control his mouth. So he just went on as if nothing happened. That is until he ran into Casey on his way to the bathroom. Literally. They had a small collision.

"Watch it," he muttered under his breath, walking into the washroom and completely ignoring the fact that that was where Casey was headed, as well. If she oh, so desired, she could come in, too. He was just going to brush his teeth.

But, being the brain that she was and since she remembered everything about everything, Casey avoided him and the possibility of them being alone together.

Derek stretched after he'd rinsed his mouth of the toothpaste and mouthwash. Had to keep his most-used body part nice and clean, right?

Walking down the stairs, he saw Casey wearing something that he didn't deem quite appropriate. It reminded him of her short-lived Babe Raider phase. Though this time it didn't seem intentional. She just saw it as another outfit. Maybe that bothered him even more. Now he had to go through and think about all the guys he'd have to head off to keep them from getting near her.

He didn't want—

Um.

Well, he was sure _Sam_ didn't want people to look at his girlfriend like that. He was just watching out for his best friend. Though he knew that there was no use in trying to get Casey to change. She'd blow him off.

* * *

As Casey walked through the school, head high, multiple guys went to check her out. Derek was lurking behind lockers and dimmed halls, making sure people just looked (even that bothered him to a crazy extent) and didn't attempt to touch.

There were a few moments when he had to pull someone aside and teach them a few manners. There was no way he was going to let her go around and parade her body like that. He'd had enough.

Derek marched up to her at lunch and took her by the arm without a word, ignoring her objections. He pulled her into a dark and very unknown hallway.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?"

"Well, I thought I was going to eat lunch until a certain obnoxious step-brother of mine stopped me," she retorted.

"Ed's here? I thought I told him to leave you alone," he shot back.

Casey gave him a look that could only be described as anything but amused. "Derek, if this is about last night—"

"What about last night?" he cut her off in genuine curiosity.

"You confessed your love for—" She let out a sigh when she realized the situation. "You know what, Der? Forget it."

Derek's brows knitted together as he tried to remember. He'd been on his recliner waiting for her and...? What did he say? _You confessed your love for—_ It was then that he remembered. But by the time his mind had transferred back to Earth, Casey had disappeared. He didn't bother to go after her since he was still trying to process the information himself. His feet were glued to the nasty floor. He had to keep this spot in mind for future 'meet-ups' since obviously even the janitors didn't know about it.


	3. Please?

It annoyed Casey to no end over the fact that Derek didn't even sort of remember what he'd said to her.

How could he? He seemed so genuine about it. Then again, he'd seemed genuine about the party fiasco and that obviously didn't work out as planned.

She needed to learn to stop trusting Derek. But it was difficult when you had to trust your _family_ in order to survive.

That's all he was.

_Family._

She had to remember that.

Though now she decided to just ignore him. He attempted to start one of their usual sparring matches? She allowed it to flow past her as if it were nothing. Derek wanted to pretend nothing happened? She'd keep her trap shut.

* * *

Derek had to admit that it was beginning to bother him that Casey was just allowing him to insult her. It wasn't any fun if he got nothing in response.

Oh, jeez. What if she started taking him seriously and took his insults for what they were?

That wasn't right. He couldn't let that happen.

So, without any regard for her privacy (but what was new?), the brunet boy entered Casey's bedroom without a knock. He loved that his dad and Nora wouldn't allow locks on anyone's doors. It made barging in so much easier.

"Yo, Space-Case. What's up?"

Just as she had been doing the past while, Casey ignored him and didn't speak. How could that be? He just completely disregarded her presence by waltzing in the way he did.

"Casey? Yoo-hoo!" he called out to her, waving his hands in front of her.

Instead of any words, all Derek got in return was a turn of the page in her book. She wasn't even giving him any gestures to go on. This was getting ridiculous. Even she had to admit that. He would never let it slip, but her silence towards him was killing his ego. And even… wow… his feelings. If anyone wanted his true emotion, they'd have to give him a lobotomy and pick at his brain. Open-heart surgery and see what was going on in there, as well.

* * *

Casey gave him a gaze of despair, the first eye-to-eye contact she'd graced him with in days. Her eyes read nothing but sadness as she shut her book, set it to the side, swung her legs over her bed, and stood up so she was upright to face him.

"Derek," she began in a calm, husky whisper, "I'm going to ask you politely to please exit my room."

Derek just smirked and shook his head. "You should know me better than that," he countered.

Casey pursed out her lower lip and sighed. "Go. Before I do something I regret," she insisted.

All she received in return was his not budging.

With that being the case and with his words from _that_ night swirling around in her head millions of times, she finally did what had been building up between the two for too long.

She kissed him.


	4. Oh, my

**AN: This is short. Like. Rly short. And I'm sorry for that. But I want to post something. And, hey, I gave you a cliffhanger, right? ;) I'll have a lot more to write next time since this kinda gives me a prompt for it. Ja feel?**

Derek's eyes widened at Casey's actions. She was kissing him. Was she aware that she was kissing him? Or was she just doing something to get him out of her room? Because, if it was the latter, she was going to get the opposite of her intention. He stayed. He returned the kiss.

Oh, my God.

_'Cause I love you._

The moment ran through his memories over and over again. What he'd said to her. How he'd said it. It was so nonchalant. He needed to fix that. He needed to fix it now. All he could think about was the reaction he received. The brunet boy knew Casey well enough to know that if someone was going to confess their love for her, she'd want something more than what he'd given her.

* * *

Casey was pleasantly surprised when she felt Derek kiss her back. She had to admit that she was a little nervous about what she'd get in return. Would she get completely rejected and thrown to the side? Would he act like that night never happened? But she didn't have to worry anymore. His lips moved perfectly against hers. They were molded for one another. She could just tell.

Though she was soon disappointed when he pulled away. Something was taxing his brain. She could always tell from the expression that he wore whenever he was actually thinking hard.

"Casey…"

Oh, no. His voice held regret or something similar. She couldn't identify it 100%.

"I love you."

"I know, Derek.

"Let me finish."

Casey's head shook in surprise at how firm his words were. He was serious. He didn't want her to speak, he wanted her to listen. He expected no interruptions. And, for once in both their time knowing one another, she was going to grant him that wish. She wasn't going to talk.

"I love you," he repeated with a swallow. "I don't know for how long. All I know is that it was apparent for me as soon as you and Sam were becoming a thing. I hated it. I'm pretty sure I made that obvious when I wrestled him to keep him from talking to you," he spoke all in one breath before his eyes widened. "Oh, my…" he trailed off. "Sam!" he exclaimed.

It was then that Casey had the epiphany, as well.

She was still officially with Sam.


	5. Try to Keep a Secret

Casey looked at Derek with pleading eyes. What was she supposed to do? She cheated on her boyfriend! She had never seen herself being that girl. The one that couldn't be trusted. This was the opposite of what she could have ever thought would happen that would be the cause of hers and Sam's breakup. Heck, she never even thought that they'd break up, anyway! This was ridiculous! And it was even worse because Derek didn't seem to mind that he'd been half of the reason that his best friend's heart would be broken.

"Case, snap out of it," the brunet said, snapping his fingers right in her eyes. She hadn't noticed that Derek had been speaking to her this whole time. Her mind was reeling with excuses that she could use. Or maybe she could tell the truth. Wait, what? That was crazy! Tell Sam that she made out with her step-brother?! That just wasn't an option!

"How are you so calm about this?!" she screeched. That resulted in him covering his ears, never hearing her voice hit such an octave before.

"Because Sam doesn't have to know," he answered with a smug expression on his features. This caused Casey to shoot daggers at him with her blue orbs. The color of her eyes had never seemed so deviant. Did Derek actually think that she was going to keep this a secret? She just had to break up with him! It was a given, wasn't it? If she had feelings for someone else, it was only fair to let go of the person she was with at the moment. And it was almost as if her annoying step-brother could read her mind. "We don't have to stop," he explained, a smirk spreading across his lips as he pulled her close to him while his arms snaked around her waist. The response he got was inaudible, but she was practically shouting at him without even speaking. "C'mon, Casey. Haven't you ever wanted to live a little… dangerously?" he questioned.

"No," she answered bluntly, pushing him away from her. "This isn't living dangerously. This is being absolutely cruel." This wasn't going to happen. She wasn't going to allow it to happen. How could she? This was bad enough without Derek trying to seduce her with the tone of voice he used to speak his words and actions. She was a monogamy kind of gal, not someone who would have a guy on the side. And she didn't want to change her ways just for some guy whom she thought was hot… and that gave her chills whenever they brushed against each other… and when he spoke… Her mind was trailing off in places where it never had before. With this being the case, it worried her.

"Okay, fine. If that's how you feel," Derek spoke, once again pulling Casey out of her thoughts, "I will go talk to Sam myself," he declared with no shame, holding his head high as he marched off to find the phone.

It finally registered, what Derek had said. This caused the blue-eyed brunette to kick into maximum overdrive. She raced after the boy and jumped onto his back just as he'd dialed Sam's number. "No!" she exclaimed, throwing the phone across the room after she'd snatched it from his grip. "I'm not ending what I have with Sam!" she finally decided aloud as she stepped back onto solid ground. "I'm ending whatever it is I have with you!" she screamed, it not kicking into her mind what she'd just told him. But it kicked into his and it hit him like a ton of bricks. She wasn't willing to be with him on any level.

"Fine," he caved in a voice that Casey had never heard before. He actually sounded sorrowful. Did he truly care for her? She had to admit that she'd figured he'd just wanted to feel their body heat mix together while they kissed from there on out.

"Der?" she whispered, but he was already turned around and headed back to his room. He obviously had no intention of speaking to her now or any time soon. And with this being the case, she wasn't sure if she could handle that. Handle going without the fights that ensued between the two of them for even one day. So, keeping that in mind, she walked over to where the phone had landed. The back had fallen off and the batteries were scattered. She hadn't noticed how much force she had used. Though it was easily remedied. She slipped the batteries back into their designated areas, latching the back into its originated spot while getting settled onto the living room couch. The number that belonged to Sam popped up onto the screen since those significant buttons were the last thing dialed into the phone. All she had to do was press 'call' and the ringing was beginning. There was no backing out now. "Hi, Sam," she greeted, wearing a gentle smile that wasn't able to be seen by him. "I need to talk to you."


	6. Finally!

**AN: You guys are awesome. Okay, that's all. Enjoy!**

Casey listened to Sam on the phone. He was ranting like crazy. But not in the way that you'd think – no. He was yelling at her and telling her that it had taken them long enough. What was wrong with them? Was it really the 'Male Code' that had to bring their obvious connection into light? The brunette had lain on the couch, stretching out comfortably, now putting Sam on speakerphone as she pulled out her most recent book that she was reading. It wasn't that she was ignoring him, she was just preoccupying herself while she heard the boy on the phone go on and on.

Derek seemed to have heard some of the commotion for his roaring footsteps were able to be heard coming down the stairs. He tilted his head to the side when he saw Casey reading and the phone set on the coffee table.

"Um…" he began, causing Casey to sit up immediately and bring the phone back to her ear so Sam wouldn't hear Derek.

"Okay, thank you for the lecture on how stupid the two of us have been and another thank you for the good wishes. But, Sam, I gotta go," she told him before hanging up and turning to face Derek who was now getting settled in his chair. "You are so lucky to have a friend like him," she scolded.

Derek gave a look of confusion, wondering what he did to deserve such a _me-ow_ tone.

"I told him the truth and instead of being upset, he's cheering us on."

Then Derek finally understood. He nodded and grabbed the remote, switching on the TV and flipping through the channels until he found a random hockey game. He didn't even know the teams playing, but it was better than having to face the obvious.

Casey had to admit that this bothered her. She had basically just given him an out about declaring his feelings freely once again and he ignored her. Then again, Derek didn't do feelings. So that could've had something to do with it. All she knew was that she was annoyed with the fact that he didn't speak at all. No insults. Nothing. Though he didn't do feelings, the brunet definitely always had something to say. There was never any doubt about that.

Derek could seem to feel the tension in the room and glanced over to the girl on the couch next to him. Her gaze was locked on his expression, waiting for it to change, and it was beginning to freak him out a bit. With a raised brow, he finally allowed words to escape past his lips. "Can I help you?"

"He speaks!" she exclaimed, her eyes narrowed skeptically. "And, yes, you can," she answered the rhetorical question regardless of the fact that it was... rhetorical, Derek giving her an expecting look. "I want you to say it again," she told him bluntly.

All she received in response was confusion on Derek's features while he scratched his head, "Okay… I would love to. But I would also love to know what you're talking about," he spoke as a rebuttal.

Casey glared at him, thinking that he was being sarcastic when, for once in his life, he was being genuine. He had no idea what she was talking about and she wasn't about to give him even a hint of what she meant. "You know what I'm talking about."

"No, I don't!" he insisted, his voice getting higher as he tried to assure her that he, indeed, did not have the mind to understand where she was coming from.

"I'm talking about what you told me that began all this."

Suddenly Derek paused and that was when Casey knew that she'd gotten him. He remembered and there was no way he could back out now. "I don't… Things like that aren't exactly easy to say, Casey."

"I know, Mr. Venturi. But you did it once; you can do it again. And this time there is nothing standing in your way," she continued, not about to let this go. That much was obvious.

Derek sighed and set down his remote after shutting off the television, using both his hands to beckon her over to him. "C'mere," he whispered, his voice now a bit deeper than usual. Crazy how he could go from high to low.

Casey paused for a moment before doing as she was told. She stood from the couch and towered over him while he was still sitting in his recliner.

Derek patted his lap, indicating for her to sit down.

Casey hesitated for a moment. Was this a trick? But there was no sign of laughter, even in his eyes. She could read him like a book if she paid attention after the year of living with him and the look in his eyes would always give away a joke. So she did as she was told silently. She carefully sat on his lap in the way a little kid would sit on Santa's at the mall.

"Casey McDonald," he began, taking her hand in his own and interlacing their fingers, then bringing hers up so he could kiss each of her knuckles, his eyes still locked on hers, "I love you."

Casey's eyes widened at his words and actions. She didn't think he'd actually say it – the actions just surprising her more. She felt like she was about to have a heart attack. And then she realized that she'd never reciprocated the words. The expression playing on his face showed that he was obviously expecting some sort of verbal feeling in return. Upon recovering from her shock (it felt like she had had a stroke or something), she finally found her voice. "Derek Venturi…" she trailed off as she tried to find some deep, meaningful words until she finally settled on the simple, "I love you, too."


	7. What now?

**AN: We are getting near the end, my friends. Another chapter or two and this story shall be finito!**

Derek jumped instinctively when he heard the door open, revealing the family. Of course, Marti had to be the first one to walk in. She was so young; she was still a bit of a loudmouth. But that's part of the reason she was his Smarti.

"Nora! Daddy! Casey and Derek are kissing!" she exclaimed, pointing at the two teenagers on the recliner.

Edwin and Lizzie didn't seem to be fazed. They were in the same boat as Sam. Took the two of them long enough to finally recognize their feelings for one another. Though they didn't say anything. Regardless of the fact that they were young, they still knew where they stood in regards to status in the household. Their only reaction was silently walking upstairs to their bedrooms, Marti's hand in Lizzie's to lead her to her room, as well. Even if the youngest of all the siblings wanted to stay, the middle children knew that this wasn't a conversation they should be listening in on… No matter how much they wanted to. Sure, they were known eavesdroppers, but they did know limits. Edwin suggested walkie-talkies which only resulted in Lizzie slapping him on the arm and telling him to mind his own darn business for once.

Casey was chewing on her lower lip and had hopped off of Derek's lap at this point. She couldn't believe that the two of them had gotten caught. She'd completely forgotten that the family had gone out to see the new Minions movie. (She had to admit, the franchise was going a bit far. But taking advantage of young kids like Marti's attention span was pretty smart when it came to business and corporation to make the bills.)

"Nora… Dad… Didn't expect to see you home so soon."

"Son, we've been gone for three hours. We took a short stop to dinner after the movie since popcorn didn't seem to be enough for the kids. But I regret it… The gas Edwin passed…"

Nora hit George on the shoulder, indicating that he was completely disregarding the situation at hand. Their children were caught kissing! Hello?!

"Oh, right. What do you two think you're doing?" he finally addressed.

Of course Derek's sarcasm was back in full force. "Well, I'm pretty sure I was kissing my beautiful keener step-sister," his head bobbing from side to side as he talked, a smirk on his lips. "What do you two think you're doing?" he threw the question back at them. Only Triple D would find a way to insult, yet compliment, someone in the same sentence. It seemed to be a talent of his.

"Der-ek!" Casey exclaimed with an annoyed and pleading expression on her face. She couldn't have him acting like this. Not right now! It was neither the time nor the place.

Derek held up his hands in defense, standing up from his chair, as well. "Okay, okay. Dad, I know this probably isn't something you and Nora approve of—"

"You got that right!" George agreed as Nora stayed silent while taking off her coat and hanging it up.

"— but I truly care about Casey," Derek continued without batting an eyelash over what his father had just confirmed. He didn't want them together. And the fact that Nora wasn't saying anything… That was a bad sign. Just like her daughter, the older woman always had something to say; whether it was warranted or not.

Nora finally managed to speak up, though, letting out a sigh before any words actually left her lips. "How long has this been going on for, exactly?"

"Nora!"

"George, let's get all the facts straight before we decide where to go with this newfound information, okay?"

George scratched his head, just as Derek had done not too long ago when it was just him and Casey (must be a family trait), not understanding. Usually he was the laidback one and Nora was the one handing out the punishments. He had no problems admitting that he was confused. Maybe a bit more than usual.

Derek was the one to answer since Casey seemed to be frozen and stuck in a time warp. "You were both witnesses to our first kiss," he answered. He wasn't in the mood to get into the 'I love you's and the drama that had ensued. If they asked about Sam, the brunet would just have to find a way to buffer the question.

"Okay, so we're not too far behind," Nora commented, George's eyes not leaving her features. This woman was incredulous.

Casey leaned over to whisper in Derek's ear, her breath hot and inviting against his skin. "Look, we need a plan. Even though Operation Disengagement didn't work out in the end, I'm sure we can come up with something that _will_ work," she murmured. "They're staring at us like we both have two heads," she continued, George's gaze now having shifted towards the teens.

Derek turned his head so he and Casey were face-to-face. And, being the absolute genius that he was, he couldn't control himself. Even with his father and Nora right in front of the new lovers, he still had no problem pressing a deep and meaningful kiss to his step-sister's lips. He needed to remember to confirm their relationship status later. Especially with their parents knowing, that was probably a bit of a roadblock as to what they were to each other now. But that didn't matter at the moment. Any words spoken by the two adults in the room were ignored, even if it was also resulting in the raising of voices. All he heard was the ringing of bells that chimed in his ears.


	8. The End

**AN: Omg, look who's back! Last chapter, bbies. *insert heart here***

Derek was focused on Casey while Casey was focused on their parents. Did he not care about what they thought? Did he really care that much about her that, what, he was willing to run away and get out of the house? As long as it meant he could be with his step-sister? Probably. Nothing was going to stop him from being with the girl – woman – that he loved.

The kiss had been separated by the brunette teenager, not able to believe that the boy was stupid enough to kiss her in such a situation. She shook her head in disapproval, trying to let Derek know that this was not the time, nor the place. They could finish all that up later. Like, _later,_ later.

"Good. We could've gone our whole lives without seeing that," George commented with a disgusted expression on his face, his features scrunched together.

Casey glanced over to Derek and, of course, he had a smirk playing on his lips. He really didn't care if they were separated, did he? Or he had a plan to keep them together. One or the other. She hoped that it was the latter. She wasn't exactly sure she could stand being away from her annoying and completely egotistical step-brother, as hard as that was to believe.

"George, calm down," Nora told him in a calm and soothing voice. Such a tone caused the blond's eyes to widen. How could she be so lax about this? Sure, they weren't actually related, but… they lived together. It was weird. Maybe he wasn't upset, maybe it was just the weirdness factor that caused him to react in such a way.

"Dad, will you listen to me for a moment?" Derek asked authoritatively. None of the three people present in the room had ever heard him speak in such a way. So his father did as requested. He stayed silent. "Thank you," he commended, his smirk now faded. He obviously had more important things on his mind. "I love Casey. I _love_ her." There was nothing else that he could think to say. Instead of flaunting their feelings for one another with a passionate kiss just to get a rise out of their parents, the young brunet took Casey's hand in his own, squeezing it.

This action caused Casey to flush deeply, biting her lesser lip in embarrassment. How such a simple gesture could cause such a meaningful reaction, she had no idea. Unfortunately, she could see the disapproval burning in both her mom's and George's eyes. It wasn't going to end well.

What Derek thought was an exaggerated fantasy was beginning to become a reality. They were about to be kicked out. But he didn't understand. The two had different last names, different relatives, and different backgrounds… What was the problem? Though before he could even attempt to register his full confusion, his dad pulled him in for a hug; Nora doing the same with her daughter.

"I guess we can't stop this," the older woman murmured in Casey's ear, causing Casey's blush to deepen. Though the obsidian-haired female pulled away so her gaze met with Derek's. "But, young man, if you hurt my daughter in any way, shape, or form, there will be Hell to pay," she warned, her tone and expression as serious as ever. It even struck fear in The Derek Venturi.

"That's not going to happen. I can promise you that, Nora," he assured after his father slipped his arms from around his son's neck.

"We're not going to hurt each other," Casey added before she got the same lecture from George.

The eldest man nodded in approval.

As it turned out, the _dis_approval that had been found in their pupils as well as their irises was only the possibility of pain becoming a common situation between the two lovebirds. Imagine how awkward of a household that would become. But, no. There was reassurance that showed no signs of indifference. There was no joke.

"We should leave the two alone," Nora whispered to George, receiving a reluctant nod in response as they marched to the basement.

Derek looked over to Casey with the largest grin she'd ever seen him wear.

"We're officially together!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh, we are, are we?" she challenged, wanting to hear him ask officially. Just because there was a potential relationship going on here, that didn't mean she didn't want to hear the question asked.

Derek rolled his eyes with a scoff and crossed his arms.

"Casey McDonald, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked, his annoyance quite apparent. Though that only amused Casey further.

"Why, yes, Derek Venturi. I'd be delighted," she answered, her tone matching his usual sarcastic comments.

"Good. Now kiss me."

So, without any argument, they sealed the deal with a kiss that was filled with all the tension, passion, and love they had felt for each other all this time.

**I hope you enjoyed it! I know that I enjoyed writing it! Thank you for all your support! I love every single one of you! *mwah!***


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